Article
Article
Hypoxia
Article By:
Stuart, Edward G. West Virginia School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Mottet, N. Karle University Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Last reviewed:December 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.334750
Failure of an adequate amount of oxygen to gain access to, or to be utilized by, the body. Hypoxia is a condition or state in which not enough oxygen is made available to cells and tissues in the body. Typically, oxygen is carried by blood to cells of the body. When oxygen levels in the blood are lower than normal (a condition also termed hypoxemia), homeostasis is not maintained properly and body tissues are not oxygenated adequately, often interfering with heart and brain functions (see illustration). When the lack of oxygen is extreme, the term anoxia is used. See also: Blood; Cell (biology); Homeostasis; Oxygen; Tissue
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
